


Beauty in Chaos

by softestsweater



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - No Ultimate Talents (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Awkward Hinata Hajime, Bisexual Hinata Hajime, Chaptered, Chiaki and Hajime are friends, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Hajime and Kazuichi are close friends, Hajime gets to know Nagito, Juniors in highschool, Komahina - Freeform, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nagito is soft, Nagito loves art, Nobody is Dead, POV Hajime Hinata, Slow Burn, Students
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-08 04:24:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21470032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softestsweater/pseuds/softestsweater
Summary: New kid Nagito Komaeda brings a bottle of poison to school. When Hajime hears about the incident through his friend Kazuichi, he decides that he'll try to avoid him. It can't be that hard to avoid someone in a school with over one thousand people, right?Unless you're in the same art class.Apparently, avoiding Nagito is going to be a lot harder than Hajime thought.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Komaeda Nagito/Hinata Hajime
Comments: 10
Kudos: 125





	1. And Then There Were None

**Author's Note:**

> Do not worry, for I have a plan for this fanfiction!
> 
> I actually did this entire first chapter in one sitting, which is out of character for me. I just really enjoyed writing this.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Wordcount: 2738

Quiet. Calm. That’s what libraries were for Hajime. He was taking a break from studying, just letting his eyes rest since he had been studying for what must’ve been thirty minutes. He was just about to doze off when a voice broke the silence, and it was directed at him.

“Heyyy! Hajime!” 

The voice coming from behind the brown-haired boy startled him, causing him to quickly open his eyes and jerk his body forward, knocking a couple pencils from the desk. Homework was sprawled out on the table, books left open everywhere. Other people may think it’s chaotic, but Hajime knew where everything was. He turned towards the person walking towards him with a groan.

“Hey- Kazuichi, what’s up?” Making his way towards Hajime at a frightening pace was none other than Kazuichi Soda, Hajime’s closest friend. They’d been friends since childhood, ever since he showed Hajime how to make an electric toy car in the first grade. Kazuichi’s instructions on how to do that were lost in his mind, but their friendship had remained strong all these years.

“Man! You will not believe wha-” Kazuichi was cut off by a pointed glare from Hajime, meant to remind him that they were in a library. He took a seat beside Hajime at the table and began again, this time quieter. “You will not believe what just happened in class. You know how there’s this new kid, right?”

“Yeah, you mentioned him.” It wasn’t just a mention. Yesterday, Kazuichi had gone off on a tirade about how pale the guy was. Hajime was curious if he really did look like a vampire- like Kazuichi had claimed.

Kazuichi flashed him a toothy grin. It was easy to forget how sharp his teeth were when you weren’t actively seeing them. They surprised Hajime every time.

“Okay, well like, we were in the middle of a lesson, right? And this dude starts shuffling weirdly.” Kazuichi noticed his voice getting louder again, and looked around sheepishly. “So everyone is staring at this guy like ‘what the hell?’ when he raises his hand.” 

“I’m failing to see how this is super weird.” Hajime wanted Kazuichi to hurry up. It was drawing enough attention with how loud he was being, and his eccentric appearance wasn’t helping. His pink hair stood out like a sore thumb amidst all the tan, neutral colors of the library. Hajime wanted to have a talk with the person who styled his hair like that. 

“Just listen! Where was I- um- right! So the teacher is all like “Yes Nagito? What would you like?” and this guy’s eyes light up like it was Christmas and he just got a damn car or something.” Kazuichi was gesturing wildly, barely missing Hajime’s face with some of his more bold motions. “And you won’t believe this- like, you literally will not believe this-”

“Just tell me.”

Kazuichi took a deep breath, seeming excited to get to the climax of his story. “So recently we read ‘And Then There Were None’ in class- okay well, I skipped out on reading it but you get the point-” Kazuichi leaned in closer to Hajime, lowering his voice. “Nagito walked up to the front of the class and said he found something cool related to the book. So the entire class watched him as he rooted through his bag, and you know what he pulled out?”

“Kazuichi, I swear to god if you don’t get to the point soon I will personally stuff you into his bag”

“Okay, okay, geez.” Kazuichi paused, probably for dramatic effect. “He pulled out an entire fucking bottle of poison. Real deal stuff. The teacher asked him and he said yes. He had to be taken out of class because obviously, you can’t have poison in a school. He’s probably in the office now, showing his poison off to the secretary or something.”

Hajime didn’t think this was where the story was going. He thought Kazuichi was going to say the guy pulled out a body pillow or handcuffs or something, not literal poison. Where the hell would he even have gotten that? And why didn’t this guy know that it wouldn’t be okay not to bring that to school? Hajime almost wanted to go ask him.

“Okay, so his name is Nagito?” Hajime inquired, not knowing what he’d do with that information in the first place.

“Who even knows? Some people in the class started coming up with theories that he’s some Russian spy or assassin. This girl Ibuki is firm in her idea that he’s actually in a boy band and this is some elaborate marketing scheme.” Hajime snorted at that last one, noticing how absurd it sounded. 

“I don’t think he’s in any of my classes-” that’s probably for the better “- but then again, I haven’t had Art or String Music yet this week.” Hajime thought of his timetable, realizing he’d have both of those tomorrow. 

“Bro, you better pray to the gods he isn’t in either of those classes. You might get impaled with a paintbrush.”

“I really don’t think you can use a paintbrush as a weapon unless it was sharpened.” Hajime thought about it. “Who would even do that in the first place?”

Kazuichi rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his neon hair, exposing his pierced ears. “You’re reading into it too much, but he totally would.”

Hajime was about to reply when the shrill sound of the bell went off, hurting his ears and signaling the end of his two free periods. The sound of shuffling filled the library as people picked up their books and got ready to leave. A couple girls passed by and glared at him and Kazuichi, no doubt because of how loud they had been. Hajime felt a slight blush creep up his cheeks. He began to gather up his stuff as well, Kazuichi standing there idly, messing with some sort of metal bracelet on his wrist. 

Hajime waved at Kazuichi awkwardly through all the books he was holding. “Well, I’ve gotta go. See you later.”

Kazuichi grinned at him. “Don’t get poisoned.”

\---

The next day, Hajime had been late to school. Because of Kazuichi intruding on his study time, Hajime had to stay up late to finish his assignment for History. He knew from experience that the later you did an assignment into the night, the longer it took because you were tired. Despite that, he had begun writing at 11 pm and finished at 1 am. It was a stupid move, but Hajime had been invited to hang out with his friend Chiaki the second he got home. They hadn’t hung out for a while, because they weren’t in any of the same classes and she had made new friends. She had fallen asleep at a staggering 7 pm, and Hajime drove her home in her car because he didn’t want her driving if she was that tired. Chiaki was living with her parents, unlike Hajime who had opted to start renting his own little dorm room. He didn’t want to feel like he was relying on his parents entirely. 

He woke up in a panic, grabbing blindly for clothing. “Shitshitshit, why didn’t my alarm clock go off?” Hajime grabbed the first food item he could find, which happened to be a snack-sized bag of goldfish. A healthy breakfast, undoubtedly. He hurried down the stairs, going down two steps at a time. _Okay, so the school is twenty minutes away if I walk, and if I jog it should only take me a solid twelve. I can make it._ God, he really needed to get a car and stop depending on Chiaki and Kazuichi for transportation. 

He ran down the sidewalk, grateful that it was mostly a straight path. As he ran, he became more confident that he would make it. He let his mind wander as he was lulled into the repetitive steps. That was his biggest mistake.

Around the seven-minute mark, two things happened to Hajime. First, he realized he was running headfirst into another guy who was coming out of his apartment. Second, they were both falling towards the ground.

Time seemed to slow down. Well, this is it. This is the most embarrassing moment of my life. Hajime was regretting all of his decisions that led up to this moment. _I shouldn’t have stayed out so long with Chiaki, I shouldn’t have put my assignment, I shouldn’t have run, I should’ve been watching_\- all regrets that were useless as he plummeted towards the sidewalk. He was fairly sure that this stranger was going to get the worst of it, as Hajime was going to fall on top of him. 

They hit the sidewalk with a thud. The other guy’s head bounced off of the sidewalk, coming back up towards Hajime’s. Their foreheads banged together. Hajime let out an instinctive “Ow!” as he toppled onto the sidewalk, this guy and Hajime’s elbow breaking his fall. 

When the show was over, Hajime took a second to lay there, quickly thinking of what he’d say to the poor guy who just got knocked over like a bowling pin. 

“Are you okay?” The other boy had sat up and was looking at Hajime with concern. _I can’t believe this,_ Hajime thought. _I just barrelled into him like a maniac and he’s asking me if I’m okay? Are you serious?_

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Hajime also sat up, dusting off his knees and wincing from the sharp pain in his side. “I should be the one asking you that.” He most definitely wasn’t going to make it to school on time now. He took a second to look at the guy- or rather, his unsuspecting victim.

The first thing that struck Hajime was his hair. It looked almost unreal because of how white it was. Unruly strands bundled together to make what would’ve looked like a bird’s nest with anyone else’s hair, but instead, it appeared like he had done his hair like that on purpose. Organized chaos. He was also absurdly pale. His skin seemed to glow in the sun, no flush anywhere to be seen. Judging from his legs, he was probably a little taller than Hajime was. He was wearing a long green coat that reached ever so slightly past his knees. 

Hajime realized he was going to look weird if he kept staring at him. “Anyways, um, I’m really sorry I ran into you. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” He apologized quickly, knowing he wouldn’t be forgiven that easily. But to his surprise, the other boy did more than forgive him.

“No! It’s my fault. I walked out of my apartment and I wasn’t looking and I am truly sorry. Here, allow me to help you up.” He scrambled to stand up and help Hajime. Hajime just watched blankly, the interaction not computing in his brain. The other boy took Hajime’s hand and pulled him upwards.

“Wait-” Hajime gasped as he stood up. “No, man, this is my fault. Not yours.” They awkwardly stood across from each other, the white-haired boy shifting his weight from foot to foot. 

“I don’t agree, but if you want to take the blame..”

Hajime sighed and realized that was probably the best he was going to get. He didn’t know how the other guy could possibly think he was in the wrong here. “Well, I’m really sorry again but I’m going to be late for class, so I have to go.”

His eyes lit up with a flicker of recognition, and for some reason, the expression felt oddly familiar. “Do you also go to Hope’s Peak Academy?” He said excitedly.

Oh, great. This guy also went to Hope’s Peak. Now, on top of knocking some random guy over, Hajime also went to school with this guy. This was absolutely horrible luck.

“Uh, yeah, I do. You realize we’re late, right?” Hajime pointed to his watch. At that moment, Hajime decided to stop rushing. He was already late, and at this rate, he’d be arriving at school in a week.

“We’re late?” There was a look of panic that crossed his face. It was quickly replaced by a look of calm, which Hajime found weird and disorienting. “I probably should’ve figured that out earlier.” He laughed awkwardly. “I mean, nobody else was walking.”

Hajime just stared at him.

“Oh! I suppose I’m being rather rude. What’s your name?” the other boy quickly offered, extending a hand.

Hajime thought back on the morning. Introducing himself to some lanky pale dude who apparently went to his school hadn’t been on his agenda. Looking at the other guy’s coat, Hajime suddenly realized how overheated he was. He should’ve opted for shorts. How the hell was he wearing a coat?

“I’m Hajime. Uh, Hajime Hinata.” He took the white-haired boy’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, Hajime. I’m Nagito Komaeda.”

It took a moment for Hajime to register the name. He racked his brain for why it was familiar. Why did he recognize it.. Until it clicked. He let out a small gasp, which Nagito noticed. Hajime looked at him again, putting the puzzle pieces together. Weirdly pale, white hair... He’s exactly how Kazuichi described him.

“Oh.” Hajime let out quietly. He’s poison boy.

“I’m sorry Hajime, is something wrong? You acted as if you recognized me.” Nagito said quizzically, obviously confused by the situation. Of course, he didn’t understand why Hajime had some sort of recognition of him. 

Hajime decided to tell him why he recognized him. “You’re, uh, you’re the dude who brought poison to school, aren’t you?” Hajime looked at the ground, feeling too uncomfortable to look Nagito in eye. Despite the awkwardness surrounding the situation, Nagito didn’t miss a beat with his response.

“You’re in my class? I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you! That is so embarrassing.” He let out a forced laugh. “Yes, I’m the one brought the poison.”

“Oh no, I’m not in your class. My friend Kazuichi is. The one with the badly layered pink hair?”  
Hajime cringed at his description. He hoped Nagito never told Kazuichi he said that.

“Him! Yes, I know him. He really is eye-catching, isn’t he? I admire his dedication to his look.” Nagito said with a smile, no hint of malice in his voice. Hajime thought it was odd. Most people dislike Kazuichi’s style.

There was a lag in the conversation, neither of them knowing what to say next. Hajime didn’t want to pry, but he was genuinely curious about the poison situation. He was almost certain that nobody would’ve bothered to get Nagito’s side of the story.

“So.. the poison?” Hajime said awkwardly.

“Yes, the poison. I brought it because in the book one of the characters died from cyanide poisoning, and they suspect it was a suicide. I thought it’d be cool to bring some actual poison to class.” He continued talking, his pace picking up. “Of course, I couldn’t get my hands on any cyanide, but I took the next best thing!”

Hajime was genuinely dumbfounded by how excited Nagito looked when talking about poison. His eyes were almost sparkling, his white hair bouncing up and down with every movement. He obviously didn’t think there was anything wrong with what he did. Again, where did he even get the poison? Hajime decided he shouldn’t ask. He didn’t know what he was supposed to say next, but to his relief, Nagito took matters into his own hands.

“Poison aside, we should probably get to class.” He began walking, Hajime lagging back for a second before meeting his pace. “What class do you have?”

This dude had Hajime confused. How could he jump from the topic of poison to going to class so easily? He didn’t know if he wanted to get away from Nagito or keep asking him questions. Hajime took a second to check his watch again.

“Well, we’re already 25 minutes late, so I’m going to have Art by the time we get there.” Hajime said sheepishly, hoping he didn’t miss anything important in first period. 

“Oh! And I assume you’re a junior as well?”

“Um… yes? Why?”

Nagito’s face lit up and he stopped in his tracks. He looked absolutely overjoyed. Hajime didn’t understand why, until a moment later.

“What do you know? We have art together!” He said, smiling with every word. “Isn’t this just **lucky?**”


	2. Blood, Sweat and Barbeque Chips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagito attempts to make a friend in art class. Kazuichi fears for his life. Hajime won't be escaping this situation any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaa this took so long to get out!! im really sorry about that, i just kinda hit writers block half way through ( also this is my first time trying to write a story haha ) 
> 
> hope you enjoy! although im not fully satisfied with this chapter, i promise in the next one things will start to pick up!

**Hajimeme**: Fuesd ehat

**Cream Soda**: what??

**Hajimeme**: I foind jim

**Cream Soda**: dude what r u saying

**Hajimeme**: Sorry I wasn’t looking at my phone

**Cream Soda**: i thought u were havin a stroke

**Hajimeme**: Lol. You know that guy Nagito who had the poison

**Cream Soda**: how could i forget 

**Hajimeme**: I may or may not be walking to school with him currently

**Cream Soda**: …

**Cream Soda**: wh a t???

_Hajimeme ( Hajime ) has gone offline._

**Cream Soda**: dude no come back

**Cream Soda: don't do me like this bro******

** **** **

****

\---

Hajime shoved his phone back into his pocket, struggling to get it in all the way. He fumbled awkwardly until Nagito noticed and stopped walking, giving Hajime a second to adjust himself. “Thanks,” Hajime said, embarrassed. 

“No problem. I should be the one thanking you for walking with me.” Nagito smiled gently at him, his hair curling around his neck. Hajime took a second to stare, realizing that Nagito was rather attractive. He hadn’t bothered to look at him like that, but now Hajime couldn’t unsee it. Despite the poison, Hajime was sure Nagito would have girls all over him soon. It was only a matter of time.

They resumed walking, continuing along the sidewalk in silence. They had both accepted that they were already late, so there was no use rushing. Hajime frowned. He almost couldn’t believe that the guy he was walking with was the same one that thought it’d be okay to bring poison to school. There was a certain disconnect between the Nagito that Kazuichi had weaved into Hajime’s imagination and the one that was keeping pace beside him. There was even the one thought that kept tugging at the back of Hajime’s mind- is this a different Nagito? He knew logically that it couldn’t be, but that didn’t stop him from being in a state of disbelief. 

The school slowly came into view. Hajime wished this was the part where he could say ‘Well, guess we have to go our separate ways now. See you around!’ so he could get away from this enigma that was puzzling him. Hajime sighed. ‘Sayonara, Nagito! Au revoir!’. He pushed the fantasy out of his mind, knowing that there was no saving him from his fate.

When they reached the door, Nagito took a couple of steps forward and opened it for Hajime. 

“Geez Nagito, I’m not your girlfriend,” Hajime said, sounding deflated and a little annoyed. “I could’ve gotten that myself.” 

Nagito’s face fell, looking hurt. “Sorry. I should’ve let you get that. My fault.” Nagito looked away from Hajime. Seeing him react like that immediately made Hajime regret what he had said.

“Ugh, no, I shouldn’t have said that.” Hajime rubbed his temples, feeling overwhelmed. “I’m just really tired. Thank you, Nagito” 

Nagito seemed to perk back up with that, his slight smile returning. He went through the door after Hajime, shutting it silently behind them. Hajime led them through the halls, knowing that Nagito probably didn’t know his way around yet. They walked past a couple of stray students, but nobody that Hajime knew. When they reached the staircase to the basement, Nagito started to talk.

“I’m not used to hallways being this wide.”

Hajime snorted, finding the comment amusing. “What, were the hallways at your old school super narrow?”

Nagito smiled at Hajime, almost in a way that made Hajime feel like a small child. He didn’t know how he felt about that. “Actually, yes. They were about as wide as four people.”

This didn’t particularly interest Hajime, so he only replied with a quiet “Hm.”

The hallways in the basement were different from the other floors. Unlike the basic blue and black design that was painted over the upper floors’ walls, the school had opted to let the students choose the design on the walls in the basement. Through careful planning and multiple votes, the school had decided to let the art club paint the walls. Walking through now, the paintings no longer captured Hajime’s attention. He had seen them enough times that they no longer held any sense of awe. 

This wasn’t true in Nagito’s case. He was mesmerized by the art surrounding him, taking a moment to slow down and take everything in. He had a far off look in his eyes. It was almost like he had forgotten that they were now- Hajime checked his watch- 35 minutes late to class.

“Yeah, it’s pretty and all Nagito, but I don’t want to miss two full periods of class. Can you pick up the pace?” Hajime said, but he didn’t sound mad.

Nagito breathed in sharply, not wanting to leave. “Yes, sorry. Let’s go.”

“You don’t have to apologize for everything, you know.” Hajime sighed.

When they reached the door to the art room, Hajime had the sudden realization that it’d look kind of weird if two guys walked into class at the same time. Especially since some people would recognize Nagito from the poisoning incident. Hajime weighed his options. He was so tired. How did his morning even end up like this? He didn’t want Nagito in his art class for the rest of the year, but now there was no escape. 

“You know what? I don’t even care.” Hajime mumbled under his breath. 

“What was that?” Nagito said. Damn, this guy must have super hearing to have picked up on that. Or Hajime had been louder than he thought.

“Nothing. Let’s go in.”

Hajime opened the door to the class and witnessed two dozen pairs of eyes focus on him and Nagito entering the room. He winced from the unwanted attention. Hajime slunk into class, hoping that people would be more focused on the new kid than him. 

“Hinata. How nice of you to join us.” He heard Mrs. Matsuzaki comment from the other side of the room. “And who did you bring with you?”

Nagito smiled at the teacher coyly, not reading the atmosphere in the room. Or maybe he had and just didn’t care. “I’m Nagito Komaeda.” He gave a slight bow with his head, which confused Hajime even further. Who does that?

“It’ll do you well in the future to avoid being late to class, Komaeda.” She said, unimpressed. “Find a seat.”

Hajime went to slip into his usual seat when he noticed it had been taken by another one of his classmates, Gundham. He groaned internally. Nothing was going his way today, was it? To make matters worse, the only two seats left were beside each other, meaning he hadn’t escaped Nagito’s grasp just yet. Hajime cringed when Nagito sat down beside him, gently brushing against Hajime’s shoulder. He leaned in towards Hajime.

“Thank you for letting me sit beside you, Hajime. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you!” He whispered. Hajime hated this class already. “You are a truly kind person! To sit with.. someone like me, it must take a lot of effort!”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Hajime hissed back at him.

Nagito just smiled, turning towards the teacher. Hajime couldn’t help but pity him. While it was fairly early in the school year- one month in, to be exact- all of the people in this class knew each other. He was going to have trouble making friends. 

“Okay, to continue where I left off-” Mrs. Matsuzaki resumed her teaching, recovering from the interruption. Hajime let his mind wander, the lesson serving as white noise.

-

Red or brown? Red or brown? This was the internal dilemma Hajime was facing as he was trying to get the lighting right on the vase he was referencing from. By no means did Hajime consider himself a star artist, especially compared to members of the art club. Angie Yonaga, president of the art club, had been in his class last year. The curve she, by association, put on the class was a nightmare. He thanked his lucky stars she didn’t have the same period as him this time around. 

Thinking about Angie Yonaga didn’t answer his question though. If he used the red for shadows, it might make the base color pale in comparison. But the brown seemed too dull. So what was he supposed to do? 

Hajime _hated_ painting.

He heard shuffling behind him and turned slightly to see Gundham approaching him. 

“Hajime! It seems we have chosen the same object of attention!” He bellowed, alerting the whole class of the interaction that was about to go down. Hajime wished for a sinkhole to open up and swallow him.

He laughed awkwardly in response. “Oh… yeah, you’re doing the vase too.”

Gundham was odd, to say the least. This was the first time in years they had been put in the same class. The last time he had been placed with Gundham was in elementary school. He wasn’t quite as… bizarre, back then. It all started when he got a hamster for his birthday. He would not shut up about it for weeks on end, bringing it up every time a peer would try to converse with him. People gradually started avoiding him after that, deterred by his behavior. Gundham had found his group in freshman year when he joined theatre. He referred to it as ‘the meeting for shapeshifters and halfling-liars’, but was passionate about it nonetheless.

“The shade of red you have chosen reminds me of the blazing fires of Gehenna!” He said, smirking.

“Uh,” Hajime mumbled “Thanks?” He wasn’t entirely sure if that was a compliment or not. He glanced around, checking to see if anyone was still watching. To his relief, most of his classmates had lost interest already, but there was one person focused intently on the conversation.

Nagito.

“Just a couple fortnights ago I was in the vast ocean of skyscrapers when I came across a message scrawled across the wall.” Gundham began his story. Hajime had to assume he was talking about graffiti. “It read ‘Ouma was here’. My curiosity was piqued! I had to find this potential disciple that had taken the name Ouma!”

Hajime didn’t see how this was related to the vase. He was about to interrupt Gundham and tell him ‘I need to get my painting done’ when he saw that Nagito was making his way towards them, weaving his way through canvases. 

_Perfect._

He was sure that Nagito would be able to distract Gundham. They were both peculiar, and birds of a feather flock together, right?

“Hello,” Nagito said, addressing Gundham. “I’m sorry for the interruption, especially from someone like me, but your conversation was just so interesting!”

Gundham gave Nagito a once-over, and seemingly decided he posed no threat to him. 

“New blood! Kneel before me!” 

Nagito looked startled. Hajime tried to give him a reassuring glance. If anyone was harmless, it was Gundham. 

Nagito laughed awkwardly. “Wow, you’re very loud.” He realized what he said, and backtracked. “I mean, it’s a good thing! Everyone in the world could hear you if you tried hard enough!” A slight blush was painted across his face. Hajime suppressed the urge to laugh.  
To Nagito’s benefit, Gundham thought nothing of the comment. “I am Gundham Tanaka!” He boomed. “Remember the name well, for it shall one day rule the world!”

Nagito sighed, most likely relieved. “I’m Nagito Komaeda.”

Gundham smirked. “That is a good name, disciple. You radiate power. Certainly not as much as me but-” he stroked his chin, undoubtedly trying to make himself look cool in front of this new classmate “-you’re quite close.”

“Ah,” Nagito seemed at a loss for words. “It’s an honor.”

Hajime suddenly felt very awkward, almost as if he had been eavesdropping. I mean, they were talking in front of his painting, were they not? He shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Hey, guys” Hajime cut in. “I know introductions are fun and all, but can you take it elsewhere? I need to paint.”

They both looked at him.

“Well, Gundham. You can tell me about the Ouma thing over at my painting!” Nagito smiled, but it felt a little forced. “Hajime, I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, sure.” 

Hajime was going to make sure he didn’t see him later. 

But why did Nagito’s smile feel forced?

\---

Hajime weaved through the lunchroom, careful to not bump into anyone. He was holding more food items in his hand than he considered humanly possible, due to Kazuichi’s request.

‘Get me the Pepsi!’

They only had Coke.

‘And the barbeque chips. You gotta get the barbeque chips, bro.’

They had the barbeque chips though.

‘Uhhhhhhhh… and I also want a cookie.’

He hadn’t specified what type of cookie, so Hajime had gotten oatmeal. It’s the price he had to pay for making Hajime his maid.

‘And uh... here.’ Kazuichi had thrown a two dollar coin his way. ‘Buy yourself something too.’

He hadn’t known what to buy, so he had gotten himself a bottle of orange juice. 

He slipped into the bench beside Kazuichi, plopping the food down with him. They were sitting off to the side of the cafeteria, away from the bustle. Last year, Chiaki would’ve been right there beside him, but now she sat with her new friend group. Hajime didn’t particularly mind. He was happy for her. 

“I think I love you,” Kazuichi said as he picked up his food.

“Haha. Funny.” Hajime replied. “Anything else you want from me?”

“Your hand in marriage.”

Hajime snorted. “I think you’re looking for a maid, not a wife.”

Kazuichi tilted his head in mock thought. “Yeah. You’re probably right.” He popped open his barbeque chips and peered inside. It was sort of his routine. Any time Kazuichi got food that needed to be opened, he looked inside first. The last time Hajime had asked why it had turned into a long lecture on why you couldn’t let anyone poison or mess with your food. That was a can of worms Hajime was not willing to open again. 

Instead, he opted to pretend he didn’t notice how odd Kazuichi was being. 

“Anyways,” He said after he was done inspecting his chips, leaning into Hajime with a waggle of his finger. “Tell me about your rendezvous with ‘The Poisoner’.”

“Don’t call him that.”

Kazuichi frowned. “Aw, why?”

“Because it’s creepy and makes me uncomfortable.”

“Ah, so it’s a perfectly fitting name for him.” 

Ignoring Kazuichi’s antics, Hajime launched into the details. “I ran into him this morning.”

“So you were walking and saw him?”

Hajime shook his head. “No, I ran into him. I was running down the sidewalk and we collided when he was coming out of his- house?- I believe.” Hajime felt embarrassed just remembering it.

“Ah, classic Hajime. Running into poor innocent pedestrians. Striking fear into the hearts of our citizens.” Kazuichi grinned. 

“Yeah, and you’re next.” Hajime laughed when he realized Kazuichi looked genuinely scared. He resumed his recap. “I didn’t realize it was him at first, but then he introduced himself and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s poison guy’. We ended up walking to school together. The end.”

Kazuichi blinked once, and then twice. “Dude.”

“What?” Hajime asked.

“How are you still breathing?”

Hajime swatted at Kazuichi. “I’m alive because he’s not that bad. He’s weird, but he isn’t some psychopath murderer.” After seeing Kazuichi’s look, Hajime backtracked. “But I don’t want to see him again! I’m not gonna make friends with him or anything.”

Kazuichi slung his arm around Hajime’s shoulder and rocked him back and forth. “Good. I’m irreplaceable, bro.” Kazuichi winked, and Hajime cringed and pulled away. 

Hajime glanced around the lunchroom and locked onto a familiar tuft of white hair. Oh god. The suspect in question was, of course, Nagito. Who else would it have been? He was standing smack dab in the middle of everything, completely oblivious to what was going on around him. Hajime suddenly felt a pang of pity for him. He probably didn’t have anywhere to sit. 

“Hey, Kazuichi.” Hajime tapped Kazuichi on the shoulder. “It’s Nagito.”

Kazuichi turned his head, whipping Hajime in the face with his hair in the process. He had a couple of chips shoved into his mouth. “Aw shit, you’re right. What do you think he’s doing?”

“Looking for somewhere to sit, I’d assume,” Hajime replied, eyes still trained on Nagito, who was now taking a couple of hesitant steps towards a table occupied by the Photography Club. He watched as the club leader, Mahiru, gave him a pointed glare. Nagito backed away. 

Kazuichi had also picked up on the interaction. “Gingers, am I right?”

“Her hair is neon red. Does she even qualify as ginger?”

“Dunno,” Kazuichi said, “but she scares me.”

Hajime scoffed. Every girl scared Kazuichi just a little bit, so that wasn’t saying much. He watched as Nagito went back to square one, looking around the lunchroom, no doubt searching for an empty table.

“Hey um- just hypothetical, but if he sees you is he gonna come over here?” Kazuichi asked through a mouthful of chips. “It’s not like I’m scared of him or anything, but I don’t want to be near him.”

Hajime hadn’t thought of that. Maybe Nagito wasn’t looking for an empty table, but rather for a familiar face. He suddenly felt the need to hide. “I’m not sure, but he must’ve made other friends in your class, right?”

Kazuichi snorted. “Hell no. Everyone’s been avoiding him like the plague. You should know that.”

“Oh. Great.” Hajime said haphazardly.

Nagito made eye contact with him from across the room, and suddenly his face lit up. 

Without breaking the stare, Hajime informed Kazuichi of what was about to happen. “Nevermind. I am sure. He’s coming over here.”

Kazuichi choked. “Seriously? Nah, bro, you’re kidding. You’re playing.”

“Nope.”

Nagito was smiling his stupid, kid on Christmas smile as he made his way towards their table. As he approached, Hajime realized that if Nagito sat with them today, it wasn’t going to be a one-time thing. He sighed. First, they live within walking distance of each other, then they’re in the same art class, and now as the cherry on top, they’d be sitting together for the foreseeable future. 

Nagito finally closed the gap, exhaling gently. His hair was ruffled, twisting chaotically around his face. “Ah-” He gasped, “Thank goodness! I couldn’t find anywhere to sit and I didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. I thought I was going to have to eat in the washroom!” 

Hajime just nodded, defeated.

“It’s okay if I sit with you, right?”

Kazuichi mumbled “No.” under his breath, but only Hajime picked up on it.

“Yeah. I guess it’s fine for now.” With that response, Nagito’s impossibly large smile grew even larger. He slipped in beside Hajime- just a little too close -and set his food down. Kazuichi took it upon himself to dramatically slide away from the two of them, acting as if Nagito would kill him with his presence alone. Hajime tried to move his arm and realized that Nagito was close enough that any movement Hajime attempted to make would disturb him.

“Thanks so much,” Nagito said breathily. Had this guy just run a marathon or something? 

“It’s,” Hajime said in between a sip of orange juice, “really no problem. Just until you find somewhere to sit.” A lie. Internally, he was screaming. Hajime prayed he looked composed, but he could feel his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. Nagito was too close to him. Hajime just needed to shift to the side slightly- not much, maybe an inch- and he’d be practically on top of him.

“Um-” Hajime was about to ask him to move when Nagito leaned to the side and interrupted.

“Ah! You’re Kazuichi, from English, right?” 

Hajime assumed Kazuichi was about to have a stroke from how much he paled.

“Uh…” He laughed nervously. “Yeah, I um- I am.” 

Nagito leaned in even closer, and Hajime had to scoot back on the seat to avoid toppling over. Nagito was practically glowing; seemingly delighted to see another person he recognized. “Right- Hajime, you mentioned you two were friends!”

With every word, Hajime’s will to live diminished even further. Kazuichi was going to rip him apart later. He could picture it now- twenty consecutive text messages in all caps, Kazuichi screaming his head off about ‘How could you tell a murderer my name?” and “You talked to this guy? Insane. You’re insane.” Truly, Hajime couldn’t figure out his opinion on Nagito. Despite the minimal interaction between them, Hajime couldn’t believe he was the same guy who brought poison. Socially-inept murderer and Nagito didn’t go together in Hajime’s mind. It was trying to finish a puzzle with ninety percent of the pieces missing. 

And worst of all, he found himself intrigued by the other boy. Sure, he was scared and somewhat uncomfortable, but with every new chunk of information, he found himself wanting more. What had conditioned Nagito to think poison was okay? Why did he apologize so much? Was he upset over being shunned? Questions polluted Hajime’s mind.

It was true, _curiosity killed the cat_. Hajime was sure of one thing- Nagito wouldn’t be disappearing any time soon.

A tap on his shoulder broke his train of thought.

“Hajime?” Nagito was staring at him, head tilted. His lips quirked slightly at the sides, showing just the faintest impressions of a smirk.

“Ah- yeah?” Hajime replied, refocusing on everything around him.

Nagito laughed gently, leaving Hajime confused. “You zoned out for a second there. Are you okay?”

Despite his urge to say ‘No, I’m not okay because you exist.’ Hajime repressed it and just nodded dully. 

“Good. I was worried.”

At that moment, there was a loud smash in the middle of the room. The sound echoed across the walls; every head in the room turned to see what the commotion was. Hajime thought he could identify the sound of a plate breaking and a thud.

“Wha- what the hell?” Kazuichi exclaimed beside him.

A feminine voice rang out through the lunchroom. It was pitchy and dripping with venom.

**“Look at this stupid pig!”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it was hard to find somewhere to end this.
> 
> \---  
edit as of 16/03/2020  
for anyone reading this, i'm not dead, just been on a really long hiatus!! there will be another chapter!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but hopefully soon.
> 
> Please feel free to leave a comment with some constructive criticism. Since I'm completely new at writing fanfiction, I'll appreciate any advice.


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